Monday, November 17, 2008

I don't get it...

This weekend was filled with things that baffled me.

I don't understand Budweiser'snew ad campaign, which extoles their product's "Drinkability." Um, isn't that pretty much the bottom rung on the beer ladder? The last step for a beverage before "that stuff's undrinkable?" Even back when I was sneaking beers in high school, there were certain brews that were too gross for us (which was why my father was a GENIUS for stocking only Natural Light in our house--he never lost a single can...) I think most people are hoping for more than this lowest-denominator experience when they plunk down their hard-earned cash for a six-pack. (And before you declare me a beer snob, I'm a longtime fan of Miller Lite. "Great Taste! Less Filling!" Now there's a promotional campaign!)

I also don't understand the latest installment of Indiana Jones, which we rented this weekend. The ending includes A SPACESHIP??? I can't bring myself to believe Spielberg and Lucas signed off on this. Or Harrison Ford, for that matter. It's just too painful a lapse in creativity, and I'm waiting for someone to tell me the entire film is a rogue CGI creation by a couple of kids who got kicked out of MIT.

And finally, I don't understand my refridgerator. Specifically, the "Humidity Controlled Crisper." What is that about? We don't have a particularly fancy fridge--it came with the condo, and is basically the most generic GE you can buy, wrapped in stainless to make it look upscale. But it caters to the humidity preferences of vegetables, which strikes me as an odd way to instill glamour in an appliance. The previous owners apparently understood the value of this, as they scotch-taped the lever in place, guaranteeing their leaks and onions a permenant humidity level of six. (Whereas I've found that if I leave anything in those drawers for long enough to notice the humidity, they've outlived their usefullness as a food product...which is what led us to be cleaning out the fridge in the first place.)

11 comments:

Hi, Trish, just laughed out loud at your blog post. Isn't it funny what we writers find to wonder at when deep into our writing projects? I wonder why my TiVo tapes what it does and I pontificate long and loud about it to hubby who doesn't really care. I also laugh at really dumb commercials, because my brain is so weary of thinking and writing through November (I'm doing Nanowrimo) and that concerns said hubby very much. I dunno if the crisper actually works, because my salad goes bad no matter what I try.

I've made a hobby lately of defending Indy 4. I will admit that it was one of the weaker films in the franchise (although I still liked it better than Temple of Doom).

Something to keep in mind is that all the Indy films attempt to imitate the popular fiction of the period. The first three films were set in the 30's and imitate the heroic pulp fiction of the day. The fourth movie is set in the 50's, and attempts to imitate the popular sci-fi of the day. Unfortunately, this necessarily changes the familiar Indy feel, so I can understand why people were put off.

Oddly, my biggest complaint with the movie was that it was paced too quickly (normally an Indy trademark). I thought the tension between Indiana and Marion was resolved too quickly, and would have been more suited to a three-hour movie.

Anyway, that's my opinion, for what it's worth. (And that plus $1.25 will get me on the bus.)

Saw Indy #4 the day it came out and thought the ending was quite lame. But it was still fun to watch if that makes any sense. And the humidity feature on your fridge? According to my Tupperware lady a few years ago, there are certain fruits and veggies that need more moisture to stay fresh longer. At least that's what convinced me to buy the special containers. :) All I know is that I still throw a lot of things away because it's just me consuming them. And I don't eat veggies that quickly!

Budweiser is now owned by a Belgium company. Although the Belgiums make very yummy beer and Budweiser is not my beer of choice, I was sad to learn this information. To me, that would be like selling John Deere! Budweiser is now distributing Belgium made beers/ales and I am sure the marketing will reflect that position. I'm a chef, a humidity controlled environment for fruits and vegetables makes perfect sense IF it's the correct humidity.

The Bud Light thing: Definitely don't understand it because it's really not drinkable at all (except when you're in desperate need). So I think they were trying to find something good to say about their product. As for Indiana Jones: I think George Lucas snuck in the spaceship thing when Spielberg wasn't looking. He's got a whole company devoted to special effects, so it's totally possible... but I agree with Wayne's comments.